Heat and humidity returned Tuesday with a vengeance. At 4:30 pm we peaked at 98 F, but the humidity level made it feel like 111 F. I followed it all from morning till night. Here are some screen shots from today, though I missed out on the 4:30 one as I was practicing piano. To add insult to injury, our skies are smoky again this summer from large fires in Northern Ontario and elsewhere. More of the same is on tap for Wednesday and on. Yay.
I was out this morning for a haircut and it was getting uncomfortable. We went out at 7:30 pm for groceries and it was downright hard to breathe. I was going to show Albuquerque to illustrate how humidity affects how temperatures feel, but London UK this afternoon worked just. It was warm in London at 4:40 pm London time, but the humidity wasn't bad at all.
This is perfect weather for indoor gaming, with the AC handling things as best as it can, assisted by fans. We have spent many thousands of dollars insulating our home, since one can't simply just stick AC in a house and turn it on. We did it mainly for winter temps, but it helps a lot in summer, too. All new windows, doors and all kinds of insulation. Well over $50,000 Can. spent altogether.
So, the gaming update. The big news is that I now have not only a powerful gaming PC, but a brand new gaming monitor! It is curved, large and gives incredible colour and image quality. I will be posting screenshots of recent games that look so fantastic on my monitor, so I hope they look halfway decent on yours. I continue to hammer away at a game called TR 49. This one does not need a big computer or a good monitor. It is a type of research game with essentially once screen, a very old computer with letters and numbers to input. There are also paper lists to read of names and authors. The goal is to find 50 books and 50 authors. The machine is somewhat messed up and keeps spewing garbled messages. Once the correct book and author are matched then the words become unscrambled. I really don't have a clue as to what I am doing, but I enjoy searching through dozens of program inputs trying to find the correct ones. I don't know what the end game is, or what might happen. I just do my research and carry on.
We've been playing Agon together now for awhile, and it will get a full review here upon completion. We are currently in the 4th of 4 chapters. There were supposed to be 13 chapters altogether, and while the first 3v chapters were pretty good, chapter 4 is dragging us down with way too much dialogue and story. Had they kept this one a bit more streamlined it likely would have been a success. But the professor is getting sidelined by other problems, and it's taking its toll on the game. Chapter 4 takes place in sunny Toledo, Spain, with the professor in search of a famous old sword. It was recently stolen and a young blacksmith is being blamed. the professor promises the boy's sweetheart and his mother that he will help. And so the story bogs down. Decent graphics, like in the first three chapters, but intricate puzzles far too complicated to solve.
Of course I continue to drive trains using Train Sim World 6, and the new monitor seems to have solved some stuttering and rendering problems that the old one had. One of the best things about this game (there are many great things) is how many angles you can observe your train from while still driving it. Besides the obvious one of sitting in the cab, views from above, the sides, and even the rear of the train are possible. Players can also watch their train pass by, as if standing on sidelines. It's a rush to see your train pass at 100 mph as you watch from a crossing, a station, or anywhere along the route. New routes come out every month (I have about 50 different routes now, each route with its own catalogue of engines, each of those with its own timetable. Endless fun!
I have also resumed my affair with Tomb Raider. In the original series I made it about halfway through TR 4 before finally giving up. Now, however, TR 1-6 have recently been totally overhauled. Same game, better graphics. I completed my first major chapter, divided into 4 parts, deep within the Inca mountains. Next I think I will be off to high adventure in Greece. My skills are slowly coming back to me.
I've only had the monitor for less than a week now, so I had to decide. Which Myst game should I load? I chose realMyst! I am currently busy trying to open up all of the worlds. I am not even stopping to pick up red and blue sheets yet. I'm just looking around and waiting for the day/night cycle, watching what happens. However, if I wish to eventually get to the arctic world, I will have to run around and get all of the sheets. The monitor gives Myst a rich and detailed view I have never quite experienced before. I will have to replay more of the games, especially the latest versions of Myst (with a much better Arctic world) and Riven. For now, I am in awe.
Next time I will give a piano repertoire update. I've been gifted with two (very warm) nights of astronomical observing lately, and am still trying to catch up on my sleep.
Mapman Mike
Here is a bonus screen capture from realMyst, a most iconic view for players.
No comments:
Post a Comment